Azerbaijan, Baku, July 30 /Trend, E.Ostapenko/
It is impossible to classify conflicts in today's globalized world as regional because even if the conflict is tied to the geographical region, it is accompanied by many processes, and it involves multiple parties, Socialist International Secretary General Luis Ayala told reporters on July 30.
According to him, Socialist International attaches great importance to many conflict regions, including the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
Socialist International Secretary General Luis Ayala is on visit to Azerbaijan from 29 July to 1 August. The purpose of the visit is to discuss preparations for the meeting of the Socialist International Committee on Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Black Sea region, which will be held in Baku in October.
This is Socialist International head's second visit to Baku. The first one was made in 2007. According to Ayala, during the current visit, he has witnessed the development taking place in Baku and the country as a whole. Ayala was received on Thursday by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Ayala said the Socialist International welcomes the discussions on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement involving all parties to the conflict, "because this is the essence of democracy."
"Clearly, we can not make progress towards reaching an agreement between the conflicting parties, conducting dialogue with only one side," said Ayala.
According to Ayala, Socialist International plans to hold the second round of discussions on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement by the end of the year. The first such meeting with the participation of all political parties and NGOs of the region took place earlier this year.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.
With regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Socialist International is concerned about the situation of refugees and the risk of armed incidents on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, said Ayala.
The international community should be involved more widely and observers need a more dynamic start in order to move forward in achieving a comprehensive peace agreement, said the head of the Socialist International.
A so-called "road map" is necessary to see "where we are and where we are moving," he said, noting the willingness of Socialist International to help in this process.
"We want those who are in a difficult position because of the presence of this conflict to believe that there are people who sympathize with them and are ready to support them," said Ayala.
The Socialist International is an international non-governmental organization of the Social-democratic direction. It was founded in 1951 and today unites more than 150 parties from more than 125 countries. The main policy document is the Stockholm Declaration of Principles, which proclaims the priority values of justice, freedom and solidarity.
